It’s going to be weird watching the Final Four with no UNC in it, but we’ll be fine.
Thursday’s loss to Alabama was certainly heartbreaking, but there’s no denying that what North Carolina did was special. The Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament entirely last year, came back with a majority of the same players and won their first, outright ACC Regular Season Title since 2016.
Right now, college basketball’s attention (UNC fans, too) has turned to rival NC State.
The Wolfpack wouldn’t be playing in the Final Four if it weren’t for Michael O’Connell’s game-tying, buzzer-beating shot in the ACC Tournament Semifinal against UVA. Cavaliers guard Isaac McKneely bricked the front end of a one-and-one, NC State pushed it up court, then O’Connell drained an insane attempt.
The Wolfpack later won that game in overtime, downed North Carolina in the ACC Championship and now sport a 9-game winning streak. They’ll be playing the Zach Edey-led Purdue Boilermakers in the Final Four on Saturday, April 6 at 6:09 p.m. ET
With NC State’s win over Duke, it became the fifth different ACC program to reach a Final Four in the past five NCAA Men’s Tournaments.
NC State is the 5th different ACC team to reach a Final Flour in the past five NCAA Men’s Tournaments.
No other conference has more than three Final Fours in that time span, let alone all different teams. #GoACC
— Danny Neckel (@DNeckel19) March 31, 2024
Please excuse sports blogger Danny Neckel’s typo in the post. He even has some fun with it in the comment thread.
Miami represented the ACC last year, making its first Final Four appearance in school history. UNC and Duke, two of the conference’s premier programs, did the same in 2022. No ACC program made the Final Four in 2021, COVID cancelled the 2020 Big Dance, while UVA won it all in 2019.
I rarely root for NC State, but how can you not fall in love with them when they’re led by DJ Burns, who has unofficially become America’s Sweetheart?
The Wolfpack’s bruising, Shaq-esque center already has two 20-point games in the NCAA Tournament, including a 29-point explosion on Easter against Duke. When Burns isn’t terrorizing opponents on the court, he’s smiling and acting as NC State’s fun-loving, big-hearted hero.
Will the Wolfpack be able to continue their Cinderella run against Purdue?
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
